I'm with you all the way. His playing is so diverse yet somehow always packed full of soul and emotive. The whole band just gets under your skin and, dare I say it, closer to the heart.
Stop being diverse. Music fans always like to decide who they think is best.. Eddie’s the goat we all know it. Lifeson is amazing.. stop comparing and just enjoy, different strokes for different folks bud.
Easy there Tim, even Petrucci? Of course Rush was a big influence to Dream Theater. But yet, I'm going to have to agree:). Alex was the most underrated guitar player of all time. Yet, he kept up with the best drummer and bassist of all time. What does that say? There will never be another band like these guys, RIP Neil...
Mark, I saw the Farewell to Kings tour when I was 14. My first rock concert and first Rush show. That one was better, haha! Yes, I was completely thrown into the "spin cycle" that night! My young (drummer) mind was totally blown! :)
3 virtuosities,,playing like no band will ever play again. Rest in Peace,Professor on the drum kit,Neil. Neil Peart wrote 99.9% of the lyrics for Rush. The place...Xanadu..was a place of immortality,to find it,hidden in the caves of ice,in the Himalayas...granted that person immortality.. But after a 1,000 years of solitude,he who had immortality...found it wasn't paradise..and left those caves of ice. And yes...this is 1 complete song.
Side note... The Drummer is Neil Peart RIP. He is and was regarded as one of the greatest drummers who ever lived. He holds a nickname amongst drummers "The Professor." He also wrote most of the lyrics for their songs. Check out one of his drum solos. Very different. He builds music rather than just show boating. He was a musician, and orchestrator, not just a drummer. Alex is a singular guitarist who never really tried to emulate anyone else. Underated. A giant lost amongst giants. And Geddy Lee... As a kid I couldn't stand his voice, but I learned to appreciate it. His ability to juggle instruments while singing is insane. But his bass playing... The man actually traveled the world researching the bass guitar, it's origins, and similar instruments throughout history. He wrote a book about it. It's fantastic.They are such a unique band. I'm not a huge Rush fan, but over the years I've learned to appreciate their musicianship. They are insane. Also of note, the industry never helped them. They toured constantly. Building a global fan base as a progressive rock band, with no help from the media. They were even over looked and shit on my rolling stone magazine for decades. They are legendary.
I've heard it said that drummers play to metronomes and metronomes play to Neal Peart. He was a master of percussion... I can't call him a drummer. I played bass in my youth so couldn't help but be awed by Geddy Lee; he played things on bass that I struggled to master, and he did it while singing and playing keys with his feat. He's mind-boggling.
You got that right, to say they were sh** on be the media is actually an understatement. Rolling Stone damed near vomited and diaerrheaed all over ever new album that came out.. They tried everything they could to get Rush out of the rock business, but their music transcended Rolling Stone’s influence. Those were the same bastards tha kept them out if the R&RHOF forsomamy years. They stupidly put up a poll on their site in 2012 suggesting the band for the last position that year. They were so confident that actually added Rush as a possibility. thinking Rush isn’t popular enough to win such a poll. They were right that Rush never had mass appeal, but they didn’t account for how dedicated Rush fans are and would actually take their time to vote for Rush. Rush ended up winning over 25% of the total vote! Theh couldn't ignore them at that point and Rush was innducted. Out of the entire class of 2013, Heart was the only other actual rock band inducted. The other indctees included artists like Randy Newman??? Is that rock music? Donna Sommers?? I thought she was disco, which I never considered as a rock genre. At least Rush shined that night as they got the loudest and longest standing ovation at over 2 minutes and included rock legends like Dave Grohl, Tommy Morello, Chad Smith and many others. No band was ever more deserving.
RUSH is very different than any band you will react too. First off they have talent beyond belief. Second and something even more rare in music. …They had ethics, front to back, beginning to end.
They’re both playing moog Taurus pedals with their feet. So when you hear synth sounds while they’re both playing guitar that’s what you’re hearing. Pretty amazing concentration
If you listen carefully you can discern the difference between Geddy’s bass and the synth bass of the pedals. It allows him to play both parts at once. Amazing
I think that the one sound you were wondering about in the beginning was when Alex was using a volume pedal to control the notes he was playing on the guitar. He was a master at that.
The poem/song is a Cautionary Tale. A young guy finds a map to a mythical place, Xanadu, that promises immoratality. He sets out to find it. Finds the paradise & its immortality. But after years enjoying it, he finds it becomes ordinary & unchanging. And not being able to leave, a monotonous, eternal, prison. It's a great, "Be careful, what you wish for, you just might get it," story.
Xanadu is the name of a paradise in the poem "Kubla Khan," by British poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge. He had been reading a book about the Mongol Empire and fell into a drug (opium) induced dream about being in paradise. When he woke up, he started writing down the lines of a poem that came to him from the dream, but was interrupted by a visitor. After the visitor ("a person from Porlock") left, he was unable to recall the rest of the poem and it remained unfinished. The lyrics of this song come virtually directly from the poem .."In Xanadu did Kubla Kahn a golden pleasure dome decree, etc."
I would like to add that the song is about a traveller who becomes trapped in what had thought would be paradise. Contrast the wordplay between the first and second halves of the song. Also the sounds you were asking about are volume swells on the guitar.
@@seanweatherford1251 I would also add that the volume swells were done with a foot pedal. Alternatively I’ve seen it done on the guitar as well. Alex loved the pedals. And the bottom of Geddy’s double neck is a six string guitar
@@generoberts9151 I love Pink Floyd, but does David Gilmore stretch the strings like that? I don't remember hearing him do that. I love him but he is very different. I should say he stretches the strings, but I don't think he intentionally goes beyond the note and back. The Garden R40 live in Dallas is another example of Alex doing that.
My formal introduction to RUSH was in 1978 when they warmed up for Blue Oyster Cult. After that show, the next day my brother went out & bought A FAREWELL TO KINGS that had just come out. Xanadu is on that record so I have been listening to it for 45 years. I have seen them perform it probably 10 times out of the 15 times I have seen them They are my favorite rock band even to this day. Neil was my inspiration to become a drummer & I was happy to be able to learn & perform some of their catalog with my bands. Cygnus X-1 (on Farewell) is neck & neck with Natural Science as my fave songs by the guys. They are legends & the memories came rushing back thanks to you ..... much appreciated.
The singer/bass player Geddy Lee has a 4 string bass on the top neck and a 12 string guitar on the bottom. On the first verse you can see Geddy is singing playing bass and also Moog Taurus bass pedals-kind of a mini synthesizer. You can see his right leg moving. In the opening of the song the sound Alex is getting is achieved with a Morely volume wah pedal to give it a violin sound. Alex also has a set of Moog Taurus bass pedals. And yes this is all one song. Neil used wood blocks tuned cowbells 3 or 4 sets of wind chimes, triangle's bell tree, glockenspiel, tubular bells with crotale cymbals on top of tubular bells, vibraslap. The glockenspiel is like a xylophone.
The vibraslap was never used live. A glockenspiel is a glockenspiel; a xylophone is a xylophone. They are only alike in the sense that they are chromatic percussion instruments.
And these dudes are such humble, down-to-earth, funny guys. Watch some of their interviews. They just wanted to make music and make people happy. The fame never went to their heads. "Limelight" is one of their best songs - it is about how uncomfortable they were and how difficult it was to become famous.
RusH was composed of 3 compulsive perfectionist, and genuine good people that do not have any ego trips that have lead to the demise of many successful bands. Truly GREAT musicians that are also truly great friends.... Resulting in some of the cleanest, tightest most amazing music ever made.
The studio version, released in 1977, of this is the same as the live version except it's a bit shorter. They expanded the opening section for this 1981 live version. By the way, guys, Rush recorded the studio version in 1 take.
The keyboards you hear when Geddy is playing bass is from him using pedals with his feet at the same time. Moog Taurus pedals are what they were called and you could assign sounds to each one like the synth keyboards of the time.
Not exactly. The Taurus pedals and Oberheim were analog synths so there was no MIDI technology of sending different pedals on the Taurus to different patches in the Oberheim. It was essentially the voltage control of the Taurus note, via diodes that allowed the signal to go from the Taurus pedals to the Oberheim but not vice versa, triggering the corresponding voltage controller in the Oberheim that triggered the oscillator / patch. C on the Taurus equaled C on the Oberheim, and so on up the scale.
RusH was composed of 3 compulsive perfectionist, and genuine good people that do not have any ego trips that have lead to the demise of many successful bands. Truly GREAT musicians that are also truly great friends.... Resulting in some of the cleanest, tightest most amazing music ever made.
The sound you wondered about at the beginning is a guitar and Alex is using a volume pedal and bringing in the sound after the picking so you don't hear the attack
The studio version is just like it! They always sounded just like the studio versions live just bigger. One of the bands I saw live over and over again!
Thank you for the reaction, ***you guys noticed more than many others*** who have reviewed Xanadu.! Did you notice that both Geddy and Alex used Moog Taurus foot pedals connected to the keyboards while simultaneously playing guitar and bass? In this video when Geddy would sing at the middle stage mic stand, away from his keyboard's mic stand, a second set of Moog Taurus foot pedals where placed there so he could sing, play bass and also play / stomp the foot peddles. What blew my mind, back in the day on Rush's Grace Under Pressure concert tour, was Geddy that sometimes had to play bass with one hand, keyboards with another, sing all while he was standing one leg playing while also Moog Taurs foot pedals. I was lucky and saw two of the P/G shows. One could say the sue of Moog Taurus foot pedals was the secret sauce when it came to making such an expansive sound. Also, Neil used MalletKat Express drum pads to trigger sampled effects or sounds back then but on this track, If I am not mistaken, his kit was analog with a truck load of mics placed all around his kit. So to put Xanadu in perspective Geddy played 4 different instruments and sang simultaneous at some points in the song. Alex played 12 string guitar and 6 string guitar while playing simultaneously Moog Taurus foot pedals. Often it looks like Alex is stomping his effects triggers when in some cases he is also play the foot pedals. And Neil...percussionist / drummer / song writer, and the glue which held the band together while providing concepts to enabling every band to member to expand their creative talents. Yes, it has been said often, they sound like a six, seven or more piece band. Hopefully I've shed some light some light on how that was accomplished with their unique style. Again thank you for the reaction, ***you guys noticed more than many others*** who have reviewed Xanadu. Best wishes to you both and family,
Yeah that's great for a first time reaction,but from a technical standpoint, I'd go with YYZ from exit stage left. This version put Peart on "the map" as a virtuoso percussionist. My opinion only.
Alex played the intro on the guitar with Geddy adding in a few sounds from the synthesizer and Neil some percussion. This group was freaking awsome. I was hooked from the first note of 2112. From there I went back and listened to the 3 albums prior. It made me cry when Neil passed
That sound from the beginning you were talking was the guitar. He was using a volume pedal w/ some delay to get that sound. They both also are playing keyboard pedals with their feet throughout the song.
Brother! I feel _exactly_ the same way. Been on a kick of reacting vids of all three lately. Saw a gal listening to Rush actually say, "There's something wrong with the beat... It's got no fourth part! A beat has four parts!". and I realized just how musically deprived the lady was. She'd never heard a waltz, for Bob's sake! Or the guys who know everything there is to know about hip-hop or classical but have zero rock experience. It's always a joy of watching them get their faces melted by those three.
Not to mess with such a perfect Trinity.... but it occurred to me there are two others worthy of same mention. First, the Beatles in their incredible Rubber Soul through Abbey Road days which sparked the creative explosion for everyone who followed. Second, the Who during their Tommy-Who's Next-Quadrophenia run of incredible compositional work that rocked severely.
@@Itelkner Eh, I'd pretty firmly categorize the Beatles as "pop". I mean, they're the greatest pop singers who ever lived, and their creativity and artistry is top-notch. They just didn't... rock... much.And the Who is amazing. But if I'm honest with myself, they just don't rise to level of the other three.
The Drummer is Neil Peart, who sadly passed away a few years ago. Considered by many to be one of the best rock drummers ever. He wrote nearly all the lyrics for all their songs. Rush was iconic in many ways. One of the best "Jam" bands. I suggest La Villa Strangiato, and if your interested in the story telling that Peart was so famous for, 2112 was a great album. If your looking for suggestions for other great bands along this vein, I endorse Queensryche: Operation Mindcrime. Geoff Tate, their lead singer is an incredible talent.
To answer your question on the bass guitar: the other neck is simply an electric guitar. Geddy uses it from the moment the guitar solo of Alex began, so theres no bass til the end (only maybe bass pedals played by Alex). And the "rich" sound simply comes from their ability to play multiple instruments at one time. Geddy plays pedal synths sometimes WHILE playing bass and Alex sometimes does bass pedals while Geddy is on the keyboard, so in a way they ARE 5 people. They are not called "The best band in the galaxy" for nothing. Hope that helped a bit. Greets from Germany and stay safe!
All band members had all of their limbs fully engaged. I only saw them live once, in January 1980. Below, is the set list. It doesn't get much better than this (2 pages) drive.google.com/file/d/1Qk3a2hhpnGtQ8OWrTWqy6UHvezo6jzSZ/view?usp=drivesdk drive.google.com/file/d/1QjAJy7MD1HCwtn-JY2AVVPjDunivQ_tC/view?usp=drivesdk
In Xanadu did Kubla Kahna stately pleasure dome decree--Brush up on your Samuel Taylor Coleridge poems gentlemen, this is a classic journey. Remember ONLY THREE DUDES!!
By far, one of the best performing live bans. They don't miss a beat. They give you your money's worth. I saw them live for Signals tour, Presto, and twice roll the bones. The talent is undeniable. It's difficult to comment on their videos because there is so much going on. You will have to watch it 4 or 5 times to get a full appreciation. . . .
It's funny that you say that they "don't miss a beat". There are a couple of instances here where they aren't fully synchronized, and as much as I love this version, it still sound a bit jarring. By the way, I wouldn't bother putting any other band under this kind of strict scrutiny, but this is Rush, so a higher standard applies. This same band, however, did not make those mistakes a couple of years later. I missed my town's show of this tour (May 12, 1981), but saw them in every other subsequent tour until '91or '92. Last time I saw them was at MSG in 2007 or so. Went straight from work still in jacket and tie. They still rocked.
Alex on guitar is playing the 'enveloped' notes at the introduction. In this instance he is doing it manually, using the guitar's volume control. He turns his guitar's volume pot low, slightly before he strikes the note, then brings the volume up after striking the note...there's no perceived 'attack' on the string with his guitar pick. It makes it sound like a bowed instrument (violin, viola, cello, bass violin). There are guitar pedals which can create the same 'enveloped' effect, but he's doing it old school.
Ok, so what the song is about: as others have mentioned, it's an allusion to the Coleridge poem. In the song, our protagonist studies occult teachings to learn the location of the mythical lost city of Xanadu. He finds his way there and partakea of their lifestyle, becoming, like its residents, immortal. It then picks up a thousand years later and our hero is desperately unhappy, wanting to die, and waiting for the end of the world to free him from existence. It's laid out pretty explicitly in the lyrics.
As a lifelong Rush fan, welcome aboard. You're watching three of the absolute best to ever approach their instruments, working together as one, all driven by an unreal level of creative story telling. Absolute gods of their instruments - ask any drummer about Neil Peart, ask any bassist about Geddy Lee, and ask any guitarist about Alex Lifeson, and they'll all know about the greatness. They're weird, they made kooky music, but they also made a lot of heavy headbangers, but always how they wanted to do it without any care of what radio play they might get. They played in a bunch of weird time signatures, had crazy long songs, many of which had multiple 'movements' within them, and their fans are the most loyal fanbase I've ever encountered in my life.
So Rush is one of the few bands that sound even better live despite their legendary studio output. Saw them live on this tour in 1979 at the Rochester, NY War Memorial Arena and that concert is still in my top five all-time. The talent of these three gentlemen is absolutely mind boggling.
Ah Rush, the world's smallest orchestra! Gotta love Ged playing keys, pedals, bass and singing. You guys do great reaction videos. Your background as musicians, engineers and music lovers really helps you provide great insights. You can see in your faces the appreciation you have for the musicianship, and production of the songs you review.
9:45..Yep, they played it straight from the studio version..But that was Rush..they could match thier studio sound note for note, lick for lick...And it won them just as many fans as their records.
That sound on the guitar in the beginning you were asking about is Alex Lifeson striking a string with the volume rolled all the way back (silent) and then rolling the sound up for a second so you can hear the note before rolling it back down to silence. He does this on each note he plays to make that melody. If you want to hear a really great example of this technique, listen to "Cathedral" (instrumental) by Van Halen on their Diver Down album.
I see Rush, I click!! So very glad you're continuing down this rabbit hole. 3 of the most talented, masterclass musicians in one group!! I can attest, after seeing them 9 times, to their ability to reproduce their 'studio' sound live, each and every time - and often times, make it sound better than their studio version! This song would be one such example! How they achieve this is through the epitome of multi-tasking. Guitarist, Alex Lifeson, while shredding on his axe will also play foot pedals. Bassist/vocalist extraordinaire Geddy Lee will play foot bass while playing keys, or just bass, with foot keys...all while singing. And finally, master percussionist, The Professor, Neil Peart (RIP), doing his multi-part thing behind the kit...with precision & authority. We can also thank him for all the lyrics. You will not be disappointed in anything these guys do! Next up: 2112 (there's a great lyric/graphic novel video of their 20+ minute epic); La Villa Strangiato (10+ minute instrumental - official video is a live reproduction of the studio)
Yes u guys!!! My boys my 60 year old self Would not know my life with out them. Oir three Canadian masters. Gosh we got three hour concerts. They are such friends joked around while Playin THAT! U got 45 yrs of tunes to cover. Now 2112 is 24 mims 5 parts.... of awesomeness!! Great reaction Cheers
Everyone who listens to Rush allows question the three piece … but they do it live all the time. It was amazing seeing them 35+ times … Thanks Rush .. Love ya.
I envy you Sam, I saw them around a dozen times from 1974 to 2006 or so and understand why you would want to see them again and again: they were consistently great every time I saw them, the set list changed over time and the shows got longer with more to play but my favorite is always the 2112 tour, seeing it live as it happened was one of my most favorite musical memories going back to 1964. RUSH Forever!
Prelude is Alex Leifson on Guitar with a footpedal and Geddy Lee with the Rickenbaker doubleneck bass while playing Moog pedals & Synth. the late great Neil Peart " The Professor" on percussion and the Lyricist. He's you favorite drummer's favorite drummer.
In the opening the keys you hear are the Tarus Bass Pedals but the other sound was the guitarist doing swells on the guitar using the volume knobs to get the swelling sound for the notes.
The opening ‘synth’ like sounds you were hearing are actually Alex on guitar using a volume pedal to softer the attack and decay of each note. He is a master at it, as he is with almost any other guitar style or effect. He can and does do it all! One of the greatest percussion performances I’ve ever seen live. It seems trivial to just call it drums!
Kubla Khan (completed 1797, circa late 18th century) BY SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE Or, a vision in a dream. A Fragment. In Xanadu did Kubla Khan A stately pleasure-dome decree: Where Alph, the sacred river, ran Through caverns measureless to man Down to a sunless sea. So twice five miles of fertile ground With walls and towers were girdled round; And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills, Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree; And here were forests ancient as the hills, Enfolding sunny spots of greenery. But oh! that deep romantic chasm which slanted Down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover! A savage place! as holy and enchanted As e’er beneath a waning moon was haunted By woman wailing for her demon-lover! And from this chasm, with ceaseless turmoil seething, As if this earth in fast thick pants were breathing, A mighty fountain momently was forced: Amid whose swift half-intermitted burst Huge fragments vaulted like rebounding hail, Or chaffy grain beneath the thresher’s flail: And mid these dancing rocks at once and ever It flung up momently the sacred river. Five miles meandering with a mazy motion Through wood and dale the sacred river ran, Then reached the caverns measureless to man, And sank in tumult to a lifeless ocean; And ’mid this tumult Kubla heard from far Ancestral voices prophesying war! The shadow of the dome of pleasure Floated midway on the waves; Where was heard the mingled measure From the fountain and the caves. It was a miracle of rare device, A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice! A damsel with a dulcimer In a vision once I saw: It was an Abyssinian maid And on her dulcimer she played, Singing of Mount Abora. Could I revive within me Her symphony and song, To such a deep delight ’twould win me, That with music loud and long, I would build that dome in air, That sunny dome! those caves of ice! And all who heard should see them there, And all should cry, Beware! Beware! His flashing eyes, his floating hair! Weave a circle round him thrice, And close your eyes with holy dread For he on honey-dew hath fed, And drunk the milk of Paradise.
I’m 52. Since the 1980’s I’ve seen Rush live more times than I can count. I feel sorry for anyone who could have seen Neil live who missed the opportunity. Words fail him. He was godlike in his prime.
The Tales Of Kubla Khan was an epic poem written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge..(Xanadu is a part of this)..Neil (drummer/lyricist)was a big reader and many of the lyrics for this are featured in the poem
Xanadu is like the lost city of Atlantis(pronounce like zanadu) this sounds exactly like the album. The only difference is when Neil has to go from triangles, chimes, bells, gongs, to drums, they slow it down slightly… the lead guitarist also plays foot pedal chords, which help give it that rich sound I saw them in concert in 1991 during the roll the bones series, I’ve never seen so many air drummers in my whole life😂 and still it’s so unbelievable the sound that comes out of the three of them… they also always had an actual working washer and dryer as they have been a working band for 5+ decades because of the length of their songs not fitting on the radio…. As always peace, love joy, and hope to you and yours. On a sidenote, I’m still proud of the season our Giants had ….
The various appliances are because Alex used to have these huge Marshall stacks behind him, and Geddy thought it made the stage look unbalanced. So he started adding things to the other side of the stage, partly to balance it and partly to try to make Alex and Neil laugh. They've had a mini laundromat, a videogame arcade, and on one tour a rotisserie (with a stagehand coming out to baste the chickens every so often). The laundromat concerts usually ended with the guys taking T-shirts out of the dryers and throwing them into the audience.
Yes, this is all one song and it is the same on the album. This is progressive rock and it is similar to classic music as it will have different movements and numerous transitions which they do seamlessly. Xanadu is a mythical paradise where one can live forever. Neil Peart is considered one of the best drummers in rock. They all multi-task to bring forth such a huge sound and they make it look effortless. Other suggestions La Villa Strangiato official music video Natural Science from the Molson Amphitheatre Toronto Working man live in Cleveland
Xanadu is a paradise of immortality but also a curse of immortality. Hence the reason he escaped these caves of ice. This is the single best live performance ever recorded by any band in history!
1977 album A Farewell to Kings. It is approximately eleven minutes long, beginning with a five-minute-long instrumental section before transitioning to a narrative written by Neil Peart, which in turn was inspired by the Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem Kubla Khan
You may or may not know this but both of them are playing keyboards as well with their feet. They have foot pedals but you can't see them. They both take turns doing various parts of different songs playing keyboards with the foot pedals. The sounds in the beginning of the song where Alex's guitar
When you were asking at the start "who was playing that, guitar or keyboard, it was the guitar. Alex was layering effects as well as using a volume foot pedal. He was ahead of his time in layering his sound to fill the spaces, as he fills both lead and rhythm guitar.
He’s also playing foot pedals that you can’t see the bottom of his bass guitar is a six string guitar Rush is one of the top five bands up there with zeppelin Pink Floyd enjoy guys
67 yr old, there is GREATNESS in all genres and Rush is in that exalted God Level, but I digress - - - I'm responding to ur comment about the masters of time changes. I feel ur Ready but still a little early for this Band "Dream Theater " and the song "Dance of Eternity " off their many Masterpieces- Scenes from a Memory! That one song has 104 time changes! The composition, the musicianship is mind blowing for even Jazz or Classical guys. Enjoy.
Geddy Lee is playing a foot peddle keyboard while he plays the bass, then switches to a regular keyboard, then back to bass. Amazing to see this perfect timing done live in concert. Try their song LA Villa Strangiato next.
Along with Neil hopping up and down to hit all the various percussion instruments and drums. Between Neil and Geddy’s various “jobs” within the song, I’d say Alex had a pretty easy go of it just playing guitar!😀
Geddy Lee the singer /Bass / Keyboard player has foot pedals under the keyboards so that when he is playing the keys with his hands he can still play the bass with his feet and visa versa he can play keys with his feet while playing bass with his hands All three are masters of their craft. You should check out 2112 or La Vila Strangiato
Both guitarists play synth and synth-bass with their feet btw... watch closely and you can see. oh.. that 'sound' you hear.. is not a keyboard. It's Alex on the guitar using his volume knob. (Pluck the string while the volume is off, then turn up the volume while it's vibrating.. sounds kinda like a violin) He also has a volume pedal so he can the volume with the knob on the guitar or with his foot.
Excluding their very first album, Rush albums in the 70s contained long epic songs. "Xanadu" is from their 5th album "A Farewell to Kings" released in 1978. The story of the song was inspired by this poem en .wikipedia .org/wiki/Kubla_Khan
You are right about the beginning, you are hearing the guitar. It's a pedal effect and there's keyboard and the bass is two bass guitars. And the guitar solo at the end deserves a very focused listening to. Thanks guys.
This was almost identical to the studio version, and by the way, the sound in the beginning was the guitar, and Alex was using a volume pedal to make that sound come in gradually with every note to make it almost sound like a keyboard.
I was there in Montreal for my first Rush concert… it blew me away and inspired my addiction to playing the bass. This song where they pull out the double neck guitars (12 & 6 strings) (bass & 6 strings) is particularly burned in my memory from that night. Enjoy the Rush ride.
The thing I absolutely love about Rush is these guys genuinely loved each other’s company and had a shared sense of humor. I saw this tour in 1981 and had third row seats. We just got lucky I guess. The show sold out so fast they added a second.
Greatest three person band ever! And to this almost 57 year old, THE BEST BAND EVER. They were truly incredible, especially live. Unbelievable. And this album is what sucked me in back in the eighth grade. You should hear the two songs that bled into this in order to get the full effect. It was side 3 of this album, Exit, Stage Left.. Broon's Bane is the quick intro that goes into The Trees, which ends going into Xanadu.....A truly EPIC album side. Great album all around, but that's my favorite side. And Xanadu refers to a euphoric place in the past... like paradise
Alex has a 12-string top and a 6-string bottom and Geddy has a 4-string bass on top and a 12-string guitar on bottom (which he plays at the end of the song).
If you're referring to the "Keyboard Sound" in the beginning being guitar, yup Alex was using a volume pedal to create volume swells with the guitar. Volume down->play note->volume up then down again and repeat.
Yes indeed, the 3 man army that is Rush, they have one of the biggest sounds in all modern music, totally beyond what you think 3 players could come up with. These guys have a doctorate in music, A very dense and complex sound that is totally listenable, unlike some Prog-Rock that is a chore to listen to. Plus they have great lyrics and you can understand Geddy. They have several masterpiece epics but the one you should hear after this is 2112, one of the greatest sides of music in the past half century. Enjoy! 🎵🎸🎤🎹🎶
Musical prodigy, meets musical prodigy, meets musical prodigy...who also happens to be the greatest lyricist ever...and they are/were also three of the most sincere, genuinely nicest people on the planet.
Seen them 4 times. 3 times when I was in school in the 70's. So, first concert of my life was, Rush, Ufo, Max Webster. Nice to be old. Me being a teenage drummer, I was very impressed. Then I saw Pat Travers....
Geddy plays bass and keys with pedals when he is doing the bass line on the double neck. This video short changes how busy he is. It is the same on the record. Xanadu is a mythical lost city of paradise populated by immortals.
For the first few minutes of this song, in my opinion, you can hear a very heavy Yes influence. Rush loved Yes and Geddy always said that Chris Squire was his biggest influence. Tremendous live performance, one of the best.
I've seen them live twice and they are magnificent. When I was a kid they released the album 2112. I was 11 at the time and I've been a diehard fan ever since. This came out a year later on "A Farewell To Kings," and I believe that was when I started bugging my parents for a drum set.
I saw Rush probably close to 10 times… wish it could’ve been more… but the one thing you could count on is them sounding almost exactly like the recorded version. They would have little tricks up their sleeve like medleys of multiple songs or Alex would add a different acoustic beginning like Broon’s Bane right before Trees…. on Exit Stage Left. The only thing you could count on being different would be Neil’s drum solo. but he would keep elements of previous tours in the drum solo and just add something new every tour. I’m super glad I got to see them when I did, and super sad they’re done.
![Rush ~ Xanadu ~ Exit Stage Left [1981] The Wolf HunterZ Reactions](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/P2FLmpcb1Lw/mqdefault.jpg)
You can have your Page, Clapton, Eddie or even a Petrucci... in my book nobody beats Alex Lifeson.
Sadly I never saw Rush live, I have seen Clapton live...watching paint dry. Ray Cooper was on percussion and carried him.
I'm with you all the way. His playing is so diverse yet somehow always packed full of soul and emotive. The whole band just gets under your skin and, dare I say it, closer to the heart.
Stop being diverse. Music fans always like to decide who they think is best.. Eddie’s the goat we all know it. Lifeson is amazing.. stop comparing and just enjoy, different strokes for different folks bud.
They're all different. They do different shit. But I gotta agree with my brother here, Eddie is the GOAT.
Easy there Tim, even Petrucci? Of course Rush was a big influence to Dream Theater. But yet, I'm going to have to agree:). Alex was the most underrated guitar player of all time. Yet, he kept up with the best drummer and bassist of all time. What does that say? There will never be another band like these guys, RIP Neil...
I'm 63 and have seen countless "live" performance videos...I have NEVER seen one better than this one. Simply terrific.
It's awesome but Genesis Seconds Out double live album from Paris 74 is something else 👍
@@thomasdutton3150 I have seen it, from '77 (the quality of the video was so-so) and it was excellent.
@@mkg59 I stand corrected 77. Marvellous on vinyl
Mark, I saw the Farewell to Kings tour when I was 14. My first rock concert and first Rush show. That one was better, haha! Yes, I was completely thrown into the "spin cycle" that night! My young (drummer) mind was totally blown! :)
If you think it's good there you should have seen them in person. I saw them live over 20 times just phenomenal
3 virtuosities,,playing like no band will ever play again.
Rest in Peace,Professor on the drum kit,Neil.
Neil Peart wrote 99.9% of the lyrics for Rush.
The place...Xanadu..was a place of immortality,to find it,hidden in the caves of ice,in the Himalayas...granted that person immortality..
But after a 1,000 years of solitude,he who had immortality...found it wasn't paradise..and left those caves of ice.
And yes...this is 1 complete song.
Side note... The Drummer is Neil Peart RIP. He is and was regarded as one of the greatest drummers who ever lived. He holds a nickname amongst drummers "The Professor." He also wrote most of the lyrics for their songs. Check out one of his drum solos. Very different. He builds music rather than just show boating. He was a musician, and orchestrator, not just a drummer. Alex is a singular guitarist who never really tried to emulate anyone else. Underated. A giant lost amongst giants. And Geddy Lee... As a kid I couldn't stand his voice, but I learned to appreciate it. His ability to juggle instruments while singing is insane. But his bass playing... The man actually traveled the world researching the bass guitar, it's origins, and similar instruments throughout history. He wrote a book about it. It's fantastic.They are such a unique band. I'm not a huge Rush fan, but over the years I've learned to appreciate their musicianship. They are insane. Also of note, the industry never helped them. They toured constantly. Building a global fan base as a progressive rock band, with no help from the media. They were even over looked and shit on my rolling stone magazine for decades. They are legendary.
I've heard it said that drummers play to metronomes and metronomes play to Neal Peart. He was a master of percussion... I can't call him a drummer. I played bass in my youth so couldn't help but be awed by Geddy Lee; he played things on bass that I struggled to master, and he did it while singing and playing keys with his feat. He's mind-boggling.
Eh? Alex gone too? !!!!! I missed that one. I agree, vastly underrated guitarist.
@@steveb6386 Alex is still with us.
You got that right, to say they were sh** on be the media is actually an understatement. Rolling Stone damed near vomited and diaerrheaed all over ever new album that came out.. They tried everything they could to get Rush out of the rock business, but their music transcended Rolling Stone’s influence. Those were the same bastards tha kept them out if the R&RHOF forsomamy years.
They stupidly put up a poll on their site in 2012 suggesting the band for the last position that year. They were so confident that actually added Rush as a possibility. thinking Rush isn’t popular enough to win such a poll. They were right that Rush never had mass appeal, but they didn’t account for how dedicated Rush fans are and would actually take their time to vote for Rush.
Rush ended up winning over 25% of the total vote! Theh couldn't ignore them at that point and Rush was innducted. Out of the entire class of 2013, Heart was the only other actual rock band inducted. The other indctees included artists like Randy Newman??? Is that rock music? Donna Sommers?? I thought she was disco, which I never considered as a rock genre.
At least Rush shined that night as they got the loudest and longest standing ovation at over 2 minutes and included rock legends like Dave Grohl, Tommy Morello, Chad Smith and many others. No band was ever more deserving.
You have witnessed the ultimate triumvirate!
RUSH is very different than any band you will react too. First off they have talent beyond belief. Second and something even more rare in music. …They had ethics, front to back, beginning to end.
Each of the members are easily one of the top ten players of their instruments. Legendary status as a band and individually.
I’m always amazed by great most legendary were at such a young age …. Writing timeless classics in their late teens early 20s
They’re both playing moog Taurus pedals with their feet. So when you hear synth sounds while they’re both playing guitar that’s what you’re hearing. Pretty amazing concentration
If you listen carefully you can discern the difference between Geddy’s bass and the synth bass of the pedals. It allows him to play both parts at once. Amazing
The intro violin sounds are guitar using delay and volume swells.
I think that the one sound you were wondering about in the beginning was when Alex was using a volume pedal to control the notes he was playing on the guitar. He was a master at that.
The poem/song is a Cautionary Tale. A young guy finds a map to a mythical place, Xanadu, that promises immoratality.
He sets out to find it. Finds the paradise & its immortality. But after years enjoying it, he finds it becomes ordinary & unchanging. And not being able to leave, a monotonous, eternal, prison.
It's a great, "Be careful, what you wish for, you just might get it," story.
Xanadu is the name of a paradise in the poem "Kubla Khan," by British poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge. He had been reading a book about the Mongol Empire and fell into a drug (opium) induced dream about being in paradise. When he woke up, he started writing down the lines of a poem that came to him from the dream, but was interrupted by a visitor. After the visitor ("a person from Porlock") left, he was unable to recall the rest of the poem and it remained unfinished. The lyrics of this song come virtually directly from the poem .."In Xanadu did Kubla Kahn a golden pleasure dome decree, etc."
I would like to add that the song is about a traveller who becomes trapped in what had thought would be paradise. Contrast the wordplay between the first and second halves of the song.
Also the sounds you were asking about are volume swells on the guitar.
@@seanweatherford1251 I would also add that the volume swells were done with a foot pedal. Alternatively I’ve seen it done on the guitar as well. Alex loved the pedals. And the bottom of Geddy’s double neck is a six string guitar
@@generoberts9151 ...and I would like to add that nobody bended sound like Alex. I love it when he bends notes out of tune and back.
@@BalokLives Only one that I would put on his pedestal besides him in that skill is David Gilmore.
@@generoberts9151 I love Pink Floyd, but does David Gilmore stretch the strings like that? I don't remember hearing him do that. I love him but he is very different. I should say he stretches the strings, but I don't think he intentionally goes beyond the note and back.
The Garden R40 live in Dallas is another example of Alex doing that.
My formal introduction to RUSH was in 1978 when they warmed up for Blue Oyster Cult. After that show, the next day my brother went out & bought A FAREWELL TO KINGS that had just come out. Xanadu is on that record so I have been listening to it for 45 years. I have seen them perform it probably 10 times out of the 15 times I have seen them They are my favorite rock band even to this day. Neil was my inspiration to become a drummer & I was happy to be able to learn & perform some of their catalog with my bands. Cygnus X-1 (on Farewell) is neck & neck with Natural Science as my fave songs by the guys. They are legends & the memories came rushing back thanks to you ..... much appreciated.
The singer/bass player Geddy Lee has a 4 string bass on the top neck and a 12 string guitar on the bottom. On the first verse you can see Geddy is singing playing bass and also Moog Taurus bass pedals-kind of a mini synthesizer. You can see his right leg moving. In the opening of the song the sound Alex is getting is achieved with a Morely volume wah pedal to give it a violin sound. Alex also has a set of Moog Taurus bass pedals. And yes this is all one song. Neil used wood blocks tuned cowbells 3 or 4 sets of wind chimes, triangle's bell tree, glockenspiel, tubular bells with crotale cymbals on top of tubular bells, vibraslap. The glockenspiel is like a xylophone.
The vibraslap was never used live.
A glockenspiel is a glockenspiel; a xylophone is a xylophone. They are only alike in the sense that they are chromatic percussion instruments.
And these dudes are such humble, down-to-earth, funny guys. Watch some of their interviews. They just wanted to make music and make people happy. The fame never went to their heads. "Limelight" is one of their best songs - it is about how uncomfortable they were and how difficult it was to become famous.
RusH was composed of 3 compulsive perfectionist, and genuine good people that do not have any ego trips that have lead to the demise of many successful bands.
Truly GREAT musicians that are also truly great friends.... Resulting in some of the cleanest, tightest most amazing music ever made.
Well mostly Neil Peart. The other guys were fine but Neil was not used to it at the time. He wrote the song.
The studio version, released in 1977, of this is the same as the live version except it's a bit shorter. They expanded the opening section for this 1981 live version. By the way, guys, Rush recorded the studio version in 1 take.
Yeah, when Rush showed up at a studio they meant business. There was no playing around
The keyboards you hear when Geddy is playing bass is from him using pedals with his feet at the same time. Moog Taurus pedals are what they were called and you could assign sounds to each one like the synth keyboards of the time.
Not exactly. The Taurus pedals and Oberheim were analog synths so there was no MIDI technology of sending different pedals on the Taurus to different patches in the Oberheim.
It was essentially the voltage control of the Taurus note, via diodes that allowed the signal to go from the Taurus pedals to the Oberheim but not vice versa, triggering the corresponding voltage controller in the Oberheim that triggered the oscillator / patch.
C on the Taurus equaled C on the Oberheim, and so on up the scale.
RusH was composed of 3 compulsive perfectionist, and genuine good people that do not have any ego trips that have lead to the demise of many successful bands.
Truly GREAT musicians that are also truly great friends.... Resulting in some of the cleanest, tightest most amazing music ever made.
Seen them quite a few times always amazed that much sound from 3 people!!!!
The sound you wondered about at the beginning is a guitar and Alex is using a volume pedal and bringing in the sound after the picking so you don't hear the attack
The studio version is just like it! They always sounded just like the studio versions live just bigger. One of the bands I saw live over and over again!
The geeks of rock they were the geeks of rock, and made fun of my other bands, and look at them now. Amazing I’ve seen them three times.
Thank you for the reaction, ***you guys noticed more than many others*** who have reviewed Xanadu.! Did you notice that both Geddy and Alex used Moog Taurus foot pedals connected to the keyboards while simultaneously playing guitar and bass? In this video when Geddy would sing at the middle stage mic stand, away from his keyboard's mic stand, a second set of Moog Taurus foot pedals where placed there so he could sing, play bass and also play / stomp the foot peddles. What blew my mind, back in the day on Rush's Grace Under Pressure concert tour, was Geddy that sometimes had to play bass with one hand, keyboards with another, sing all while he was standing one leg playing while also Moog Taurs foot pedals. I was lucky and saw two of the P/G shows. One could say the sue of Moog Taurus foot pedals was the secret sauce when it came to making such an expansive sound. Also, Neil used MalletKat Express drum pads to trigger sampled effects or sounds back then but on this track, If I am not mistaken, his kit was analog with a truck load of mics placed all around his kit. So to put Xanadu in perspective Geddy played 4 different instruments and sang simultaneous at some points in the song. Alex played 12 string guitar and 6 string guitar while playing simultaneously Moog Taurus foot pedals. Often it looks like Alex is stomping his effects triggers when in some cases he is also play the foot pedals. And Neil...percussionist / drummer / song writer, and the glue which held the band together while providing concepts to enabling every band to member to expand their creative talents. Yes, it has been said often, they sound like a six, seven or more piece band. Hopefully I've shed some light some light on how that was accomplished with their unique style. Again thank you for the reaction, ***you guys noticed more than many others*** who have reviewed Xanadu. Best wishes to you both and family,
Thank you so much. Best wishes to you and your family as well. Have a great weekend!!
And thanks for all the great info.
Great comment 👍 thanks.
Both Geddy and Alex are also playing Taurus Pedal Sythesizers with their feet!
Next RUSH reaction needs to be “YYZ LIVE IN RIO”, it’s an instrumental that showcases their individual talents.
Yeah that's great for a first time reaction,but from a technical standpoint, I'd go with YYZ from exit stage left. This version put Peart on "the map" as a virtuoso percussionist. My opinion only.
Geddy once said their music was like 3 solos that worked together.
Alex played the intro on the guitar with Geddy adding in a few sounds from the synthesizer and Neil some percussion. This group was freaking awsome. I was hooked from the first note of 2112. From there I went back and listened to the 3 albums prior. It made me cry when Neil passed
" The three travelers, men of Willowdale " - lyrically and musically unmatched. "It's everything" - yes indeed sir, yes indeed.
I love Alex's transition from top to bottom neck at 8:11.
That sound from the beginning you were talking was the guitar. He was using a volume pedal w/ some delay to get that sound. They both also are playing keyboard pedals with their feet throughout the song.
This sounds almost exactly like the studio version. Rush, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd are the three greatest ever.
Brother! I feel _exactly_ the same way. Been on a kick of reacting vids of all three lately. Saw a gal listening to Rush actually say, "There's something wrong with the beat... It's got no fourth part! A beat has four parts!". and I realized just how musically deprived the lady was. She'd never heard a waltz, for Bob's sake! Or the guys who know everything there is to know about hip-hop or classical but have zero rock experience. It's always a joy of watching them get their faces melted by those three.
"The Holy Trinity.."
Not to mess with such a perfect Trinity.... but it occurred to me there are two others worthy of same mention. First, the Beatles in their incredible Rubber Soul through Abbey Road days which sparked the creative explosion for everyone who followed. Second, the Who during their Tommy-Who's Next-Quadrophenia run of incredible compositional work that rocked severely.
@@Itelkner Eh, I'd pretty firmly categorize the Beatles as "pop". I mean, they're the greatest pop singers who ever lived, and their creativity and artistry is top-notch. They just didn't... rock... much.And the Who is amazing. But if I'm honest with myself, they just don't rise to level of the other three.
@Itelkner can't forget about the outstanding work of Yes, either. But my three best are the same.
The Drummer is Neil Peart, who sadly passed away a few years ago. Considered by many to be one of the best rock drummers ever. He wrote nearly all the lyrics for all their songs. Rush was iconic in many ways. One of the best "Jam" bands. I suggest La Villa Strangiato, and if your interested in the story telling that Peart was so famous for, 2112 was a great album. If your looking for suggestions for other great bands along this vein, I endorse Queensryche: Operation Mindcrime. Geoff Tate, their lead singer is an incredible talent.
To answer your question on the bass guitar: the other neck is simply an electric guitar. Geddy uses it from the moment the guitar solo of Alex began, so theres no bass til the end (only maybe bass pedals played by Alex). And the "rich" sound simply comes from their ability to play multiple instruments at one time. Geddy plays pedal synths sometimes WHILE playing bass and Alex sometimes does bass pedals while Geddy is on the keyboard, so in a way they ARE 5 people. They are not called "The best band in the galaxy" for nothing. Hope that helped a bit. Greets from Germany and stay safe!
All band members had all of their limbs fully engaged. I only saw them live once, in January 1980. Below, is the set list. It doesn't get much better than this (2 pages)
drive.google.com/file/d/1Qk3a2hhpnGtQ8OWrTWqy6UHvezo6jzSZ/view?usp=drivesdk
drive.google.com/file/d/1QjAJy7MD1HCwtn-JY2AVVPjDunivQ_tC/view?usp=drivesdk
In Xanadu did Kubla Kahna stately pleasure dome decree--Brush up on your Samuel Taylor Coleridge poems gentlemen, this is a classic journey. Remember ONLY THREE DUDES!!
By far, one of the best performing live bans. They don't miss a beat. They give you your money's worth. I saw them live for Signals tour, Presto, and twice roll the bones. The talent is undeniable. It's difficult to comment on their videos because there is so much going on. You will have to watch it 4 or 5 times to get a full appreciation. . . .
#Facts 🤔
I saw them on the Hemispheres tour, then again at a Texas Jam, IMHO, they smoked all the other bands!
It's funny that you say that they "don't miss a beat". There are a couple of instances here where they aren't fully synchronized, and as much as I love this version, it still sound a bit jarring. By the way, I wouldn't bother putting any other band under this kind of strict scrutiny, but this is Rush, so a higher standard applies. This same band, however, did not make those mistakes a couple of years later. I missed my town's show of this tour (May 12, 1981), but saw them in every other subsequent tour until '91or '92. Last time I saw them was at MSG in 2007 or so. Went straight from work still in jacket and tie. They still rocked.
It's all guitar, with a return pedal,,at the intro 🏴🤘
Geddy's playing a 4string bass on top and a 12 string guitar on bottom.
Alex on guitar is playing the 'enveloped' notes at the introduction. In this instance he is doing it manually, using the guitar's volume control. He turns his guitar's volume pot low, slightly before he strikes the note, then brings the volume up after striking the note...there's no perceived 'attack' on the string with his guitar pick. It makes it sound like a bowed instrument (violin, viola, cello, bass violin). There are guitar pedals which can create the same 'enveloped' effect, but he's doing it old school.
Ok, so what the song is about: as others have mentioned, it's an allusion to the Coleridge poem. In the song, our protagonist studies occult teachings to learn the location of the mythical lost city of Xanadu. He finds his way there and partakea of their lifestyle, becoming, like its residents, immortal. It then picks up a thousand years later and our hero is desperately unhappy, wanting to die, and waiting for the end of the world to free him from existence. It's laid out pretty explicitly in the lyrics.
Ahh there ya go. Great Live RUSH Choice
As a lifelong Rush fan, welcome aboard. You're watching three of the absolute best to ever approach their instruments, working together as one, all driven by an unreal level of creative story telling. Absolute gods of their instruments - ask any drummer about Neil Peart, ask any bassist about Geddy Lee, and ask any guitarist about Alex Lifeson, and they'll all know about the greatness.
They're weird, they made kooky music, but they also made a lot of heavy headbangers, but always how they wanted to do it without any care of what radio play they might get. They played in a bunch of weird time signatures, had crazy long songs, many of which had multiple 'movements' within them, and their fans are the most loyal fanbase I've ever encountered in my life.
So Rush is one of the few bands that sound even better live despite their legendary studio output. Saw them live on this tour in 1979 at the Rochester, NY War Memorial Arena and that concert is still in my top five all-time. The talent of these three gentlemen is absolutely mind boggling.
Xanadu is the legendary mythical land of paradise.
Ah Rush, the world's smallest orchestra! Gotta love Ged playing keys, pedals, bass and singing. You guys do great reaction videos. Your background as musicians, engineers and music lovers really helps you provide great insights. You can see in your faces the appreciation you have for the musicianship, and production of the songs you review.
9:45..Yep, they played it straight from the studio version..But that was Rush..they could match thier studio sound note for note, lick for lick...And it won them just as many fans as their records.
That sound is the guitarist slightly rolling his volume on each note
That sound on the guitar in the beginning you were asking about is Alex Lifeson striking a string with the volume rolled all the way back (silent) and then rolling the sound up for a second so you can hear the note before rolling it back down to silence. He does this on each note he plays to make that melody. If you want to hear a really great example of this technique, listen to "Cathedral" (instrumental) by Van Halen on their Diver Down album.
Best Band Ever!
The sound in the beginning was Alex on his guitar with foot pedals. And it's all one song.
I see Rush, I click!! So very glad you're continuing down this rabbit hole. 3 of the most talented, masterclass musicians in one group!! I can attest, after seeing them 9 times, to their ability to reproduce their 'studio' sound live, each and every time - and often times, make it sound better than their studio version! This song would be one such example!
How they achieve this is through the epitome of multi-tasking. Guitarist, Alex Lifeson, while shredding on his axe will also play foot pedals. Bassist/vocalist extraordinaire Geddy Lee will play foot bass while playing keys, or just bass, with foot keys...all while singing. And finally, master percussionist, The Professor, Neil Peart (RIP), doing his multi-part thing behind the kit...with precision & authority. We can also thank him for all the lyrics.
You will not be disappointed in anything these guys do!
Next up: 2112 (there's a great lyric/graphic novel video of their 20+ minute epic); La Villa Strangiato (10+ minute instrumental - official video is a live reproduction of the studio)
And have Chicken Rotisseries and Washing machines in the backgroup (well in later tours)
RUSH is literally unapproachable as far as anyone else out there - that have attempted to follow in their steps. Incredible, live.
Yes u guys!!! My boys my 60 year old self
Would not know my life with out them. Oir three Canadian masters.
Gosh we got three hour concerts. They are such friends joked around while Playin THAT!
U got 45 yrs of tunes to cover. Now 2112 is 24 mims 5 parts.... of awesomeness!!
Great reaction Cheers
Everyone who listens to Rush allows question the three piece … but they do it live all the time. It was amazing seeing them 35+ times … Thanks Rush .. Love ya.
I envy you Sam, I saw them around a dozen times from 1974 to 2006 or so and understand why you would want to see them again and again: they were consistently great every time I saw them, the set list changed over time and the shows got longer with more to play but my favorite is always the 2112 tour, seeing it live as it happened was one of my most favorite musical memories going back to 1964. RUSH Forever!
The standard of musicianship from these three men was astounding. Where Rush led the likes of Muse eventually followed, nearly 30 years later.
That's exactly how it's done on the studio album just live
Prelude is Alex Leifson on Guitar with a footpedal and Geddy Lee with the Rickenbaker doubleneck bass while playing Moog pedals & Synth. the late great Neil Peart " The Professor" on percussion and the Lyricist. He's you favorite drummer's favorite drummer.
In the opening the keys you hear are the Tarus Bass Pedals but the other sound was the guitarist doing swells on the guitar using the volume knobs to get the swelling sound for the notes.
told you kkkkkkkkkk, hey test for echo, afterimage, time stand .... rush is a machine mind
Rush is EPIC!
The opening ‘synth’ like sounds you were hearing are actually Alex on guitar using a volume pedal to softer the attack and decay of each note. He is a master at it, as he is with almost any other guitar style or effect. He can and does do it all! One of the greatest percussion performances I’ve ever seen live. It seems trivial to just call it drums!
"Volume swells" to be a technical bastard!
Kubla Khan (completed 1797, circa late 18th century)
BY SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE
Or, a vision in a dream. A Fragment.
In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea.
So twice five miles of fertile ground
With walls and towers were girdled round;
And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills,
Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree;
And here were forests ancient as the hills,
Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.
But oh! that deep romantic chasm which slanted
Down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover!
A savage place! as holy and enchanted
As e’er beneath a waning moon was haunted
By woman wailing for her demon-lover!
And from this chasm, with ceaseless turmoil seething,
As if this earth in fast thick pants were breathing,
A mighty fountain momently was forced:
Amid whose swift half-intermitted burst
Huge fragments vaulted like rebounding hail,
Or chaffy grain beneath the thresher’s flail:
And mid these dancing rocks at once and ever
It flung up momently the sacred river.
Five miles meandering with a mazy motion
Through wood and dale the sacred river ran,
Then reached the caverns measureless to man,
And sank in tumult to a lifeless ocean;
And ’mid this tumult Kubla heard from far
Ancestral voices prophesying war!
The shadow of the dome of pleasure
Floated midway on the waves;
Where was heard the mingled measure
From the fountain and the caves.
It was a miracle of rare device,
A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice!
A damsel with a dulcimer
In a vision once I saw:
It was an Abyssinian maid
And on her dulcimer she played,
Singing of Mount Abora.
Could I revive within me
Her symphony and song,
To such a deep delight ’twould win me,
That with music loud and long,
I would build that dome in air,
That sunny dome! those caves of ice!
And all who heard should see them there,
And all should cry, Beware! Beware!
His flashing eyes, his floating hair!
Weave a circle round him thrice,
And close your eyes with holy dread
For he on honey-dew hath fed,
And drunk the milk of Paradise.
I’m 52. Since the 1980’s I’ve seen Rush live more times than I can count. I feel sorry for anyone who could have seen Neil live who missed the opportunity.
Words fail him. He was godlike in his prime.
The Tales Of Kubla Khan was an epic poem written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge..(Xanadu is a part of this)..Neil (drummer/lyricist)was a big reader and many of the lyrics for this are featured in the poem
Xanadu is like the lost city of Atlantis(pronounce like zanadu) this sounds exactly like the album. The only difference is when Neil has to go from triangles, chimes, bells, gongs, to drums, they slow it down slightly… the lead guitarist also plays foot pedal chords, which help give it that rich sound I saw them in concert in 1991 during the roll the bones series, I’ve never seen so many air drummers in my whole life😂 and still it’s so unbelievable the sound that comes out of the three of them… they also always had an actual working washer and dryer as they have been a working band for 5+ decades because of the length of their songs not fitting on the radio…. As always peace, love joy, and hope to you and yours.
On a sidenote, I’m still proud of the season our Giants had ….
The various appliances are because Alex used to have these huge Marshall stacks behind him, and Geddy thought it made the stage look unbalanced. So he started adding things to the other side of the stage, partly to balance it and partly to try to make Alex and Neil laugh. They've had a mini laundromat, a videogame arcade, and on one tour a rotisserie (with a stagehand coming out to baste the chickens every so often). The laundromat concerts usually ended with the guys taking T-shirts out of the dryers and throwing them into the audience.
Yes, this is all one song and it is the same on the album. This is progressive rock and it is similar to classic music as it will have different movements and numerous transitions which they do seamlessly. Xanadu is a mythical paradise where one can live forever. Neil Peart is considered one of the best drummers in rock. They all multi-task to bring forth such a huge sound and they make it look effortless.
Other suggestions
La Villa Strangiato official music video
Natural Science from the Molson Amphitheatre Toronto
Working man live in Cleveland
🥰 Great suggestions Debbie! So glad they finally got around to this song. 🤞Hoping La Villa is next.
@@cityhonors1 Thanks! 😀
Xanadu is a paradise of immortality but also a curse of immortality. Hence the reason he escaped these caves of ice. This is the single best live performance ever recorded by any band in history!
1977 album A Farewell to Kings. It is approximately eleven minutes long, beginning with a five-minute-long instrumental section before transitioning to a narrative written by Neil Peart, which in turn was inspired by the Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem Kubla Khan
You may or may not know this but both of them are playing keyboards as well with their feet. They have foot pedals but you can't see them. They both take turns doing various parts of different songs playing keyboards with the foot pedals. The sounds in the beginning of the song where Alex's guitar
Awesome video! You’re on your way to joining the Rush Army😂 WELCOME Gentlemen nice to have you here!
You guys are great, my new favs for sure.
When you were asking at the start "who was playing that, guitar or keyboard, it was the guitar. Alex was layering effects as well as using a volume foot pedal. He was ahead of his time in layering his sound to fill the spaces, as he fills both lead and rhythm guitar.
Its Rush.....there's 20 of them. I miss them so much...God bless you Mr Peart
He’s also playing foot pedals that you can’t see the bottom of his bass guitar is a six string guitar Rush is one of the top five bands up there with zeppelin Pink Floyd enjoy guys
One of the best Rush songs ever!🎸🥁💣🔥
67 yr old, there is GREATNESS in all genres and Rush is in that exalted God Level, but I digress - - - I'm responding to ur comment about the masters of time changes. I feel ur Ready but still a little early for this Band "Dream Theater " and the song "Dance of Eternity " off their many Masterpieces- Scenes from a Memory! That one song has 104 time changes! The composition, the musicianship is mind blowing for even Jazz or Classical guys. Enjoy.
The best thing to come out of Canada by far!!! Thank You for this! Genius!!!
Geddy Lee is playing a foot peddle keyboard while he plays the bass, then switches to a regular keyboard, then back to bass. Amazing to see this perfect timing done live in concert. Try their song LA Villa Strangiato next.
Along with Neil hopping up and down to hit all the various percussion instruments and drums. Between Neil and Geddy’s various “jobs” within the song, I’d say Alex had a pretty easy go of it just playing guitar!😀
I love your channel, but glad you are getting to Rush! Stay with 'em. Much love.
Geddy Lee the singer /Bass / Keyboard player has foot pedals under the keyboards so that when he is playing the keys with his hands he can still play the bass with his feet and visa versa he can play keys with his feet while playing bass with his hands All three are masters of their craft. You should check out 2112 or La Vila Strangiato
Both guitarists play synth and synth-bass with their feet btw... watch closely and you can see.
oh.. that 'sound' you hear.. is not a keyboard. It's Alex on the guitar using his volume knob. (Pluck the string while the volume is off, then turn up the volume while it's vibrating.. sounds kinda like a violin) He also has a volume pedal so he can the volume with the knob on the guitar or with his foot.
Excluding their very first album, Rush albums in the 70s contained long epic songs. "Xanadu" is from their 5th album "A Farewell to Kings" released in 1978. The story of the song was inspired by this poem en .wikipedia .org/wiki/Kubla_Khan
Xanadu is just a song about a fantasy area somewhere in the world. It's a fictitious tale.
It was mainly the guitar you heard in the beginning with a little keyboard. Alex was able to make his guitar sound like a synth.
You are right about the beginning, you are hearing the guitar. It's a pedal effect and there's keyboard and the bass is two bass guitars.
And the guitar solo at the end deserves a very focused listening to. Thanks guys.
This was almost identical to the studio version, and by the way, the sound in the beginning was the guitar, and Alex was using a volume pedal to make that sound come in gradually with every note to make it almost sound like a keyboard.
I was there in Montreal for my first Rush concert… it blew me away and inspired my addiction to playing the bass. This song where they pull out the double neck guitars (12 & 6 strings) (bass & 6 strings) is particularly burned in my memory from that night. Enjoy the Rush ride.
The thing I absolutely love about Rush is these guys genuinely loved each other’s company and had a shared sense of humor. I saw this tour in 1981 and had third row seats. We just got lucky I guess. The show sold out so fast they added a second.
Greatest three person band ever! And to this almost 57 year old, THE BEST BAND EVER. They were truly incredible, especially live. Unbelievable. And this album is what sucked me in back in the eighth grade. You should hear the two songs that bled into this in order to get the full effect. It was side 3 of this album, Exit, Stage Left.. Broon's Bane is the quick intro that goes into The Trees, which ends going into Xanadu.....A truly EPIC album side. Great album all around, but that's my favorite side.
And Xanadu refers to a euphoric place in the past... like paradise
im sooo excited like a lil girl to see u react.
✊🏽✊🏽get some
🙋🏾♀ I'll be your Avatar! 🤭🥰🐰
Alex has a 12-string top and a 6-string bottom and Geddy has a 4-string bass on top and a 12-string guitar on bottom (which he plays at the end of the song).
This is the correct answer
If you're referring to the "Keyboard Sound" in the beginning being guitar, yup Alex was using a volume pedal to create volume swells with the guitar. Volume down->play note->volume up then down again and repeat.
5:18 not keyboards folks, that was Bass pedals foot synth that Geddy is playing while he play bass guitar at the same time.
one of a kind band, 1981. masterpiece,🤘🤘🤘
The bass player Geddy Lee plays the keyboard with his hands at the same time he is playing bass with his feet
Yes indeed, the 3 man army that is Rush, they have one of the biggest sounds in all modern music, totally beyond what you think 3 players could come up with. These guys have a doctorate in music, A very dense and complex sound that is totally listenable, unlike some Prog-Rock that is a chore to listen to. Plus they have great lyrics and you can understand Geddy. They have several masterpiece epics but the one you should hear after this is 2112, one of the greatest sides of music in the past half century. Enjoy! 🎵🎸🎤🎹🎶
Musical prodigy, meets musical prodigy, meets musical prodigy...who also happens to be the greatest lyricist ever...and they are/were also three of the most sincere, genuinely nicest people on the planet.
I have no words to express my appreciation and respect for these guys!
Astounding!
Seen them 4 times. 3 times when I was in school in the 70's. So, first concert of my life was, Rush, Ufo, Max Webster. Nice to be old. Me being a teenage drummer, I was very impressed. Then I saw Pat Travers....
The best three man band ever. Over 40 years creating music, 17 + albums and over 160 songs to explore. Enjoy the ride!
Geddy plays bass and keys with pedals when he is doing the bass line on the double neck. This video short changes how busy he is. It is the same on the record. Xanadu is a mythical lost city of paradise populated by immortals.
And he suffers once he achieves his quest for immortality.
And he has the concentration to sing aswell!
For the first few minutes of this song, in my opinion, you can hear a very heavy Yes influence. Rush loved Yes and Geddy always said that Chris Squire was his biggest influence. Tremendous live performance, one of the best.
Alex is doing what we guitarists call volume swells in the beginning.
one of my most favorite moments in all of music: 13:18
I've seen them live twice and they are magnificent. When I was a kid they released the album 2112. I was 11 at the time and I've been a diehard fan ever since. This came out a year later on "A Farewell To Kings," and I believe that was when I started bugging my parents for a drum set.
I saw Rush probably close to 10 times… wish it could’ve been more… but the one thing you could count on is them sounding almost exactly like the recorded version. They would have little tricks up their sleeve like medleys of multiple songs or Alex would add a different acoustic beginning like Broon’s Bane right before Trees…. on Exit Stage Left. The only thing you could count on being different would be Neil’s drum solo. but he would keep elements of previous tours in the drum solo and just add something new every tour. I’m super glad I got to see them when I did, and super sad they’re done.